Kimberly Pagano: Celebrating A Decade of Mentoring

— By Megan Brown, ABCD Marketing Manager

March 24, 2026

Kimberly Pagano grew up in southern California, alongside her fraternal twin sister, where the two were enrolled in karate classes at a young age to learn self-defense.

“It set the stage for who I am today and gave me confidence in different aspects of life,” Kimberly, who goes by Kim, says.

That confidence stayed with her as she married her college sweetheart, moved to the suburbs of Chicago, raised two daughters, and built a career. But when breast cancer entered her family, it tested that confidence.

Her Sister’s Experience

Kim’s twin sister was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 35, followed by a recurrence years later.

“It was very emotional and distressing,” Kim recalls. At the same time, her sister’s diagnosis also taught her how meaningful practical support can be during treatment. Women in their neighborhood organized rides, taking turns driving her sister to chemotherapy appointments.

 “Looking back, it turned into such a fond memory of how people stepped up to support her,” she explains.

If breast cancer ever became part of her own life, Kim knew she would lean into the people willing to show up.

Her Own Diagnosis

In 2012 when Kim was 47, doctors noticed something suspicious during a mammogram. A biopsy confirmed ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early form of breast cancer that is considered Stage 0. Kim learned it was multifocal, meaning more than one area of DCIS was found.

The emotional weight of the diagnosis felt enormous for Kim. “My husband quickly turned into a project manager because all I did was cry,” she says. Every Friday, the two sat down over dinner to review next steps.

What could have become only painful memories now feels, in part, unexpectedly tender for Kim. “He was the foundation,” Kim says. “I could cry, be angry, go to bed early, but he stayed focused on the facts.”                

Learning to Accept Help

Support came not only from her husband and other family members, but from friends who accompanied her to appointments.

“A lot of women have difficulty accepting help,” she says. “But if someone wants to clean your house, cook for you, or drive you, let them.”

Kim remembers coming home after surgery to a full house, with her husband doing laundry and her mother- and sister-in-law preparing food. “I didn’t have to do anything because the people there were taking care of me,” she says.

She now encourages others to embrace these moments of help.

Providing Perspective as an ABCD Mentor

Before surgery, Kim was connected informally with a woman who had already gone through breast cancer.

“I talked to her a week before surgery, called her in a panic the night before, cried, and she came to the hospital to visit me,” Kim says. “To this day, she was my angel.”

Seeing how helpful it was to have the support of someone who had been there eventually led her to ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis. Kim traveled to Milwaukee in November 2015 and completed ABCD’s New Mentor Training. ABCD was still offering in-person training at the time, a model it had used since its founding in 1999, before shifting to a virtual format in 2020.

“At first I wasn’t sure what I could offer as a Mentor,” she says. “I had an early-stage diagnosis, and I thought it didn’t compare to what some others had gone through.”

Another survivor she met at the training offered perspective that stayed with Kim. “She said, ‘Don’t put down your diagnosis. It doesn’t matter what stage you are, we’re all in the same club and have walked down an emotional path.’”

Now, Kim has been an ABCD Mentor for more than a decade and has supported 32 Participants. “It’s my hope every one of them has received even an ounce of something good from me,” she says.

A Lasting Connection

For Kim, one of the clearest reminders of what ABCD’s one-to-one connections can mean came when a Participant she had supported, Laura Beth, reached back out after finishing treatment, a year after their first conversations over the phone.

“I always remind them that they can reach back out to me if they have new questions or want another conversation,” Kim says. “And some do.”

This follow-up call with Laura Beth became exactly what Kim hopes mentoring can provide: reassurance in a moment of uncertainty and a reminder that support does not disappear once treatment ends.

“I think it felt like a safety net for her,” Kim says. “It’s always good to be able to reach someone when you’re in an emotional pinch.”

For Kim, that is one of the quiet strengths of the connections ABCD creates. They provide space for honest conversation without judgment, and often at exactly the moment someone needs it most.

“A Hug Through the Phone Line”

Kim often reminds her Participants of a few things, including that not everyone in your life will respond to your diagnosis the way you hope.

“You can develop anger or resentment if people closest to you don’t respond the way you want them to,” she says. “But maybe the person checking on you every day is a coworker. Focus on the people who are taking that journey with you.”

Another perspective she offers is that fear can take over quickly. “Your own brain can torture you in more ways than one.”  

She knows because she lived it, especially in the years after treatment, when fear of recurrence became overwhelming. “I was so obsessed with when and where it would come back.”              

 A doctor helped her reframe that fear, allowing her to move forward.  

She also tells Participants that positive outcomes can be harder to find than fear. “The positive outcomes aren’t what you see a lot of on the internet,” she says. “But one way you can find positivity is through mentorship.”

What Kim continues to offer as an ABCD Mentor is reassurance and a listening ear.

“It’s literally a hug through the phone line,” she says with a smile.

Kim was diagnosed in 2012 with Stage 0 DCIS. Her treatment included a bilateral mastectomy with implant reconstruction and hormone therapy (Tamoxifen).